Thursday, October 8, 2009

Dhalla Gains Support from Greens...

...Shame on the Liberals turning their backs on her. They otta reconsider. Did you hear that Ms. Sgro?

Greens Urge Support for Bill C-428Posted October 8th, 2009

OTTAWA--The Green Party of Canada has examined the private members' bill put forward by Member of Parliament Dr. Ruby Dhalla. "In our view, this bill is a positive initiative and reasonable step to reduce poverty in seniors," said Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada.

"We are very concerned about the poverty rate among seniors, "said Human Rights critic Joe Foster. "The requirement for a three year residency period, the same amount required for Canadian citizenship, is reasonable and ensures that claimants are legitimately relocated to Canada, generally as part of family reunification."

The Greens note that the entitlement to an OAS pension for those who had only three years residency would be far less than for a Canadian who had 40 years residency. While a Canadian with 40 years residency would receive $516.96, a new Canadian senior with three years residency would only receive $38.77/month. Both groups may also qualify for Guaranteed Income Supplements. For a low income single senior with three years residency, the combined pensions would be an estimated $690/month, while for a 40 year resident, the OAS and GIS combined would be $1,169.47/month.

The bill was previously nearly through the Parliamentary process when the 2008 election was called and was supported by the Liberal, NDP, and Bloc Committee members. Its key elements were also recommended by the Special Senate Committee on Aging.

"We believe that no Canadian senior should live in poverty. With an estimated cost of $400 million/year, this expense is affordable and may have significant cost saving impacts in our health care system," noted Elizabeth May. "We urge MPs to support Bill C-428."